


Take A Chance

by plikki



Series: And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times [14]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien learns something interesting, F/M, Identity Reveal, Ladybug slips up, Talking, a one-shot becoming a three-part, ladrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:20:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23292349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plikki/pseuds/plikki
Summary: Kissing prompt:Laying a gentle kiss to the back of the other’s hand.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1598920
Comments: 43
Kudos: 243





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Now, I'm not into the traditional take on Ladrien. I have my own interpretation of their dynamic and love using such situations to make Marinette see similarities between Adrien and Chat. So this is probably not what you'd expect. But I hope you like it!

Adrien didn’t even pause to catch a breath after transforming. He headed straight towards where he’d just left Ladybug. Ladybug who’d somehow managed to twist her ankle just as they were preparing to leave the scene of the latest akuma fight. He wouldn’t have left her in the first place but he’d been seconds away from transforming, so he’d had no choice. But he had a back-up option and he was going to use it.

She looked up confused from where she was leaning against a wall as he approached her.

“A-adrien,” she said and he could see it all, how she was going to pretend that everything was alright and then try to downplay how much it hurt and he really didn’t want to waste time with pleasantries. She was too close to her own transformation for this and he needed to take her to a safe place.

“I saw what happened,” he said, trying not to be deterred by her shocked expression as he leaned into her personal space to place an arm around her back. “I know you’re hurt, don’t try to deny it,” he added as he placed his other arm under her knees. “I also know you’re running out of time so there is no point in objecting, I’m taking you to a safe place,” he finished as he tugged on her legs and took her in his arms, doing his best to ignore her adorable squeak. 

“What? No, no, put me down!” she said immediately and he had to bite back a smile. He totally knew she’d react like that, she never wanted to be seen as the damsel in distress, she was a superhero after all and proud of it. And while he’d usually feel a lot less confident around her as Adrien because he didn’t have his alter ego to hide behind, he tried to channel his Chat Noir because there was no way he’d let her win this one and anyway, it was already too late.

“I’m not taking no for an answer,” he said and saw her look up at him wide-eyed. Yeah, he still needed to keep himself in check or she’d get suspicious. 

“You don’t have to carry me, I can walk!” She protested weakly, looking away to hide her burning cheeks. She was embarrassed. Great. 

“It’s no problem. You’re as light as a feather and it’s faster this way. And we’re not going far,” he added cheerfully, while taking steady strides in the direction he wanted to go. It was true. He barely felt her weight. He’d always thought that he carried her so easily whenever he had to because he was helped by supernatural strength, but he often forgot how tiny she was. Maybe because of her larger-than-life personality, he thought with a smile to himself. But being Chat Noir probably helped keeping him in better physical shape, something he hadn’t given much thought until now. But he certainly didn’t mind showing off in front of her, although this wasn’t about this at all, he just wanted to help her. He knew from experience that things went wrong when he tried to impress her as his civilian self. He shook his head before darker thoughts could invade his mind. He should focus on the task at hand. In his arms, to be precise. 

“I can’t believe I think this,” he heard his lady mutter under her breath. “You’re acting awfully like Chat right now,” she said in a louder voice, shooting him a mock-angry look. She obviously meant that as a joke but his steps faltered. He covered it up by rearranging her in his arms and hoped she hadn’t noticed. 

“Now that’s a huge compliment,” he said with a chuckle. 

“You don’t mind being compared to him?” she asked, confusion colouring her voice. He couldn’t see her expression because if he kept looking at her instead of the way he was going, this would end badly. 

“Why would I mind? He’s part of Paris’s favourite superhero duo, he fights beside you, he’s brave, strong, obviously smart too to keep up with your genius plans.” He kept smiling, but he scolded himself internally. _ Alright, Adrien, don’t get carried away or she’ll really suspect something.  _ “I mean, it’s an honour to be compared to him.” 

He expected her to laugh or tease him about not letting Chat hear him or this would inflate his ego even more. But he wasn’t prepared for her soft sigh and dreamy expression, which he saw when he stole a quick glance at her face. 

“Oh, but he’s so much more than that too. He’s so selfless, it drives me crazy, because he always puts himself in danger without a second thought, but it’s so admirable too. And he’s so kind, you should see him with akuma victims, I always leave him to deal with them because his mere presence is soothing. And he’s always ready to see the best in people, to the point of being too naive sometimes and getting himself fooled by those with bad intentions. But he can’t help it.”

Adrien did his best not to stop in the middle of the street and just gape at her, although this was what he felt like doing. He hadn’t been prepared for this, not at all. He knew she cherished her partner, but he’d never heard her talk about him like that. 

She must have realised how she sounded, because she laughed softly and added,

“Don’t get me wrong, he still annoys me like hell very often. But, don’t tell him that, he’s the best partner one could dream of and a great guy in general.”

Adrien really hoped the wild beating of his heart wouldn’t betray him. Because he couldn’t keep it in check. He also felt like melting on the spot, right there, with her in his arms. His heart swelled with love. 

“I-I guess then it’s really not a bad thing to be compared to him,” he managed to say, after feeling the need to clear his throat. And then he felt brave all of a sudden, daring to ask her something he’d never normally do. “Since you think so highly of him and are so obviously fond of him, one has to wonder how he hadn’t managed to win you over already. I mean, he’s obviously crazy about you, so what’s stopping you?” he said, trying to sound light-hearted and joking. But it was a really serious question. 

He stole another glance at her face only to be nearly floored by the brighter blush covering her cheeks. Uh oh. What had he walked into?

“I… It’s not that simple. There is this other guy,” she said, still looking away and not at him. Hm. 

“And he’s as good as Chat?” he joked, but could hear the bitterness in his own voice. He really wanted to know what this other guy had that he didn’t. Or he didn’t want to know. Hell.

“I don’t really know him as well as I know Chat, to be honest, but I really believe he is, yes. And that’s not the point. There is no competition. He was there first and I can’t just give up on my feelings for him,” she concluded, her stubbornness clear in her voice. She looked like she was trying to convince herself, not only him.

“So you just don’t like Chat like that?” he said, swallowing hard. This was the only logical conclusion he could draw. 

“It’s not that, I told you. I actually do, but it doesn’t matter,” she said, quietly but he heard her and she realised it a little too late. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth and she looked at him wide-eyed. Because he’d totally stopped walking and was just staring at her. She hadn’t just admitted what he thought she did, right? But seeing her embarrassment at her slip-up, it seemed like this was the case.

He used the moment to let her stand up on her own, because they’d reached their destination. He motioned towards an upturned crate for her to sit down, trying to give himself more time too. Another beep from her earrings signalled that it was running out, though. 

He crouched in front of her, taking her hand.

“About what you just said… I don’t want to intrude, this is obviously something private. But can I give you my advice?” She nodded, still looking flustered. 

“If you’re not with that other guy, there must be a reason for it. Don’t hold onto him if it seems hopeless. I’m the last one who should be saying this actually,” he said with a chuckle, “but hear me out. If you really like Chat, go for it. The way he looks at you… well, I’m sure you have enough admirers, but I think you wouldn’t find another one to love you like he does easily.” 

His lady looked at him unsure, biting her bottom lip. He forced himself to look away because he was using all his willpower as it was to not just grab her and kiss her senseless. It was exceptionally hard after everything he’d just heard. But he wanted to leave this up to her, she had to take this decision on her own. He was done with putting pressure on her to consider him like that, he’d done it enough times before he’d realised it was wrong. Well, one could argue that what he was doing now, using his alter ego like that, wasn’t better. But if this was how she felt, she clearly needed just a small nudge in the right direction. 

“It’s up to you, of course. But if you really like him, you might not want to miss this chance and regret it later. I’m sure the other guy isn’t worth it, if he hadn’t noticed you by now.” He was certainly a fool to not immediately see a girl like her and keep her to himself, whoever he was. 

He knew he had to go. So be just lifted her hand to his mouth, brushing his lips against her fingers. She laughed breathlessly at that.

“Now you really remind me of Chat,” she said with a soft smile. 

“After everything you’ve said about him, I’m certain this is a great compliment,” he said, resisting the urge to wink at her. “Just think about what I told you, alright? And you’ll manage going home on your own?” When she nodded, he turned around to go and leave her in the dark alley. Every step away from her was torture, but he’d done what he could. And hoped it would be enough. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette tries to sort out her feelings but then has another slip up, this time even more serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back and obviously want to torture Marinette a bit before all this is resolved, haha. But the end is near, don't worry! Enjoy!

“Tikki,” Marinette whispered into the empty alley. She’d transformed back seconds after Adrien had left her there. Great timing. She’d have to thank him properly for what he’d done for her. He’d saved her in the nick of time. 

“Marinette,” the kwam said between bites of cookie. 

“I just told Adrien that I like Chat,” Marinette continued. She didn’t know what she wanted to hear. A confirmation that she’d really messed up and was not imagining things or a reassurance that it hadn’t really happened, but she was obviously going crazy imagining things like that. 

“Yep, I heard,” was Tikki’s laconic reply, although she looked like she was trying hard not to laugh. But Marinette didn’t think too much about it in her confused state. The kwami continued to chew in silence, no doubt taking in her owner’s struck expression. “What is troubling you more? The fact that you told Adrien or the fact that you actually like Chat?”

“Both, I guess?” she admitted. “I mean, Adrien doesn’t know he’s the guy I like so it was no big deal for him that I told him that, but it was a really stupid thing to do, right? But most of all, how was I so blind, Tikki? Why did it take Adrien asking me for me to realise that I actually like Chat?”

It was true. Whenever she’d thought of him in that context before, it had always been to instantly dismiss it with “I love Adrien,” like this was enough. But it wasn’t. There was obviously much more to it than that. 

“I think you’ll find that this is the reason that Chat hadn’t given up on you so easily. Rejecting someone by saying that you like someone else does little to quell that person’s hope, because there is always the chance that the other person won’t be a factor at one point. You never told him “Look, I’m just not attracted to you,” which would have been much more effective.”

Marinette looked at Tikki as if she was seeing an alien. She felt betrayed, because really, Tikki had thought this all along and never mentioned it? And seriously, who would have thought that her kwami knew so much about love and rejection, like in modern-day love. 

“Wow. That’s harsh but the truth I guess. I never even thought about it. But you’re right. And the reason I never said this was because it wasn’t true,” she said, blushing even though there was no one to hear her say it. Admitting it to herself wasn’t easy. But there was nowhere to run from this anymore. And realising how unfair she’d been to Chat was not nice too.

“There you go.”

“But I still could have chosen a better moment to realise it instead of blurting it in front of Adrien,” she groaned into her hands. She was still not trying to get up, because while not hurting terribly, her ankle still throbbed painfully from time to time and she needed to process everything too. “And him, Tikki! He encouraged me to go after Chat, can you believe this?” 

“I can, actually,” Marinette thought she heard Tikki mutter under her breath but then the kwami added loudly, “Well, you can’t deny that what he said actually makes sense.”

“Hm, maybe,” she admitted. This was something she’d have to consider later because it was too much for now. “But why would he do it? He may not know that he’s my crush but he told me to pursue another. This… this must mean he doesn’t like me at all,” she concluded with a sad sigh. 

“We’re talking about Ladybug here, not you Marinette. Don’t tell me you ever expected him to be in love with Ladybug.”

“Maybe… I mean, I have wondered a couple of times why he seems different around her, but well, it was too much to hope for, right? And not what I wanted anyway, I wanted him to love his friend, not a superhero. But this totally proved I was wrong to even think there was a chance of him being interested in Ladybug. It wouldn’t make sense for him to tell me to go after Chat if he was .” She stared miserably into the distance.

“What are you going to do?” The kwami asked gently after a minute. 

“That’s the big question, right? I have no idea. I mean, maybe I should talk to Chat. Although I don’t know what to tell him exactly. But this will happen tomorrow evening at the earliest. So I’ll have a lot of time to think of something, especially after sorting out my own feelings first. Right now, I need to get home and rest. I hope my ankle is better tomorrow. Ouch,” she mumbled as she got up and hobbled around a bit. She stopped suddenly. 

“Tikki, did I compare Adrien to Chat because I subconsciously want them to be alike?” 

“What?” asked the kwami, clearly confused. 

“I mean, it has never struck me how alike they are before. And it would be easier to accept that I like Chat if I think he’s like Adrien,” she mused out loud.

“But you said Adrien reminded you of Chat, not the other way around,” Tikki supplied helpfully. 

“Er.. right. Which was strange.”

“Is this a bad thing for you?”

“What? No. I mean, you did hear me talk about Chat like a lovesick teenager, right? I obviously l… ike him. It’s just unexpected to think of Adrien in this way. Whatever. Let’s go home now,” she said and headed home, slowly and trying not to put much weight on her hurt leg. 

The next morning didn’t bring much relief in that respect. The ankle wasn’t swollen, so it wasn’t something serious but it still made walking harder. She somehow managed to get to school and collapse into her place relieved. Only to hear that people were talking about her and staring at her now that she’d arrived.

“What did I miss?” She asked, smiling. 

“Adrien was just telling us that you’ll probably agree to help Juleka with her project, because you’re just good like that,“ Alya told her in a sing-song voice. Hearing this, Marinette flushed and turned towards Adrien, a question in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Marinette, I didn’t want to presume,” he said, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden. “It’s just that you’re always willing to help everyone. You’re our everyday Ladybug, you know,” he added with a smile. But then he must have caught the almost imperceptible wince, which was her involuntary reaction when she heard the comparison. And his eyes locked on hers in a disconcerting way. Like for the first time ever he realised what he was saying and thought seriously about it. Marinette tried to keep her cool and pretend she didn’t notice his reaction. 

“It’s no problem. Of course I’d help. Tell me about it, Juleka,” she said, turning towards her friend and it was over for the moment. She really believed she’d averted the crisis.

But she hadn’t thought about one very important thing. She only realised it later, when she was heading outside and forgot to be careful with her ankle. She yelped and lost her balance, but as luck would have it, Adrien was right behind her and helped her stand up straight. 

“Are you ok, Marinette?” he asked, concerned.

“Yeah, of course, it’s just that I hurt my leg yesterday and I stepped wrong just now, silly me, forgetting about it,” she said, laughing. But her laughter caught in her throat when she saw Adrien’s eyes sharpen on her. How they moved to her leg, to see that yes, accidentally she was favouring the same leg that Ladybug hurt the previous day. And he’d been there and knew it all. She couldn’t believe she’d been so careless and stupid to forget that and just blabber on. She held her breath as his eyes returned to hers, suddenly seeing more and knowing more. She expected to be called out, to be asked to explain, anything. But instead he just reminded her to be careful and take it easy until her leg was fine. And she could have been fooled that she’d imagined it all if she didn’t see the small smile playing on his lips as he left her standing there. She had a feeling this was not the end. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tikki was me trying to give Marinette advice on rejecting someone. Seriously, it's something that has been bugging me quite a lot. Especially with people going on and on about Adrien taking no for an answer, when clearly the way she rejected him just wasn't final enough. (That's just my opinion, of course)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien thinks he already knows too much, but learns even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've lost track of the number of reveals I've written and still it gets me every time and oh dear... my poor heart. Well, I hope you like it!

Adrien thought he’d been nervous before, when he was busy wondering what Ladybug would do with his advice, while still trying to process the fact that she’d admitted she actually had feelings for him. He’d never expected he’d figure out her identity and add this to the list of reasons for freaking out. 

His mind was still whirling from the new information. He had no concrete evidence that what he suspected was true, but was there any other possible explanation? He’d first felt strange when he’d called Marinette “their everyday Ladybug” and caught her reaction. But that had been easy to dismiss, although now he was mad at himself for comparing her to herself two times and not making the connection. But when he’d helped her after she’d lost her balance and she’d told him she’d hurt her ankle, his mind had made the connection before he could really understand what was happening. Seeing her favour the same foot Ladybug had hurt right in front of him had been the wake-up call he couldn’t ignore. He’d also seen her panicked reaction when she’d realised her slip-up. Because if she was Ladybug, she knew why Adrien was aware of her injury. No one else could make that connection. 

He’d resisted asking Plagg about all this, but he hadn’t missed the kwami’s content expression. He was surprised that he was spared the teasing and I told you so he suspected he deserved. But he was also thankful. Because he had enough on his mind. He had no idea how to act around Ladybug. He wasn’t supposed to know what she’d told Adrien about him and what he’d advised her to do. What’s more, he really wasn’t supposed to know her identity. So he had to pretend that everything was normal and he didn’t believe he could do it. Still, he was determined to let his lady make the first move. 

He wasn’t off to a strong start from the moment she joined him on their designated rooftop. She landed gracefully, as always, but immediately lost balance because of her injured foot. He was by her side in a second, holding her steady. And his resolve almost crumbled the moment she looked up at him and he lost himself in her eyes. His lady, Marinette, there in his arms. He thought his heart was going to burst. 

As soon as he thought it was safe, he took a step back because he didn’t trust himself. Not a bit. He had no idea how he was going to survive the evening. 

“M’lady, how is your injury?” he asked, trying to sound normal. 

“I thought it was much better but it always catches me off guard. It already got me into enough trouble,” she grumbled and he tried not to wince. She was probably going through her own hell after everything that had happened. He helped her to sit down and joined her. 

“What happened?” he said in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner. 

“I’m pretty sure someone figured out my identity,” she said, hanging her head in what he suspected was shame. This was probably her biggest nightmare coming true, he realised. “He didn’t say anything but… well, I’m sure he connected the dots. All because I was careless and didn’t pay enough attention. And also because I was clumsy enough to hurt myself in the first place and… Gah!” She really looked on the verge of a nervous breakdown. 

“No, wait! I’m sure it wasn’t your fault,” he said quickly. Because it hadn’t been. She’d forgotten her injury and then failed to cover up its source. Well, it could happen to either of them. She was only human after all. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“But this is a disaster! What am I going to do now?” she whined. He’d never wished so much that he could just tell her. And he also wondered if there was any reason to hide after all. He knew, it was only fair that she knew his secret too. But then he heard himself asking,

“Maybe it’s not so bad? Can you trust this person?”

She looked at him in surprise, as if the thought hadn’t even occurred to her. 

“Well, actually I think I can. I have no reason to think that he’d use this against me. And well, believe it or not, he’s the one I’m in love with,” she said, a light blush dusting her cheeks. 

Adrien felt as if the world ground to a halt. He must be imagining things. Or hearing wrong. Because there was no way she’d just said what he thought she’d said. He was the mysterious guy? He’d been competing with himself all this time?

He was staring at her, his mouth open, no sound coming out. And she must have caught on that something was wrong. Although she had no way of knowing what had just happened. 

“I’m sorry. That was pretty insensitive of me,” she said, with an apology in her voice as well. She was apologising because she thought she’d made him feel bad with her comment. Oh dear. 

“No, it’s ok,” he said, trying to shake off the shock. “How exactly did he figure it out?” he asked, to buy himself some time. And to see if there was still a chance that he was wrong and she meant someone else.

“Well, he helped me yesterday after you left. So he knew that I was injured and what to look for. And I wasn’t careful enough even though I knew he was nearby at school. And, yeah…”

It was him. It really was him. He could take only a second to allow himself to feel elated. And tried very hard to school his expression. 

“You know what’s funny though? Yesterday he gave me love advice,” she continued, snorting in a very unladylike manner. “Because I kind of let it slip that I like you, in front of him, imagine it! And he told me I should act on this feeling and… “

He stopped listening. He couldn’t take it anymore. It had been bad enough before that. But to listen to her actually confess to him and to still pretend he had no idea? Not possible. He didn’t know what he’d thought before, about acting as if nothing had happened. He couldn’t lie to her like that. She didn’t deserve it. Also, he felt so bad for the way he’d acted. 

“Stop,” he said and at first she didn’t hear him, lost in her nervous babbling. “Marinette,” he said, louder. 

She froze instantly, looking at him shocked. He hadn’t wanted to tell her like that, but it was for the best. 

“I’m sorry. I can’t do this. Lying to you is pure torture. And you should know the truth anyway. And I need to apologise. Right.” He took a breath. “It was me. Who figured out your identity. Who helped you yesterday.” He paused, to make sure she understood.

“A-adrien?” She whispered after a few seconds. Knowing what he knew now, he tried hard not to imagine what was going on in her head. He hoped it wasn’t too bad.

“Yes. And I’m terribly sorry. As you now know, it was me who encouraged you to give me a chance. This was out of line. I shouldn’t have done it. In my defence, it wasn’t planned. It just happened when I heard you talk about me like that… well,” he trailed off, a little embarrassed. 

“Wow,” she said, still looking at him as if seeing him for the first time. Well, in a way she was. She then shook her head and laughed softly. “Well, that’s a relief. At least it was you who learned my identity. There is one less crisis at my hands.”

“You’re not mad?” He asked, confused. She was taking it surprisingly well. 

“For the advice part, maybe a little. Although I know you did it with good intention. And what you said still holds true, actually. You had no way of knowing you were telling me to give up on you to go after you.” She laughed again. “Now that’s embarrassing. I was really going to give up on you for you.”

“You were?” He couldn’t resist asking, his heart beating wildly. This could have gone so differently. But maybe it could still be salvaged. 

“Yeah. So I’m glad it happened and you know now. Everything. Today was not easy for me, trying to figure out what to do about my compromised identity, while also sorting out my feelings. But the way it’s all resolved now, it’s perfect.” She finished with a warm smile.

“So we’re good?” He asked with a sigh of relief. 

“We can be more than good if you still want to,” she answered shyly. His brain tried to short-circuit at this, making the connection too fast for his own good. 

“Do I want to?” He asked, making it clear it was not a question, more like an answer. Then he finally let go of his restraint and cupped her face in his hands. It was hard, but he still paused to look into her eyes, hoping she could see the plea in his. She smiled just a little, but it was enough. 

When his lips touched hers, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. He’d dreamt of this happening so many times and now it was and it was perfect. Not only because he was kissing her, but because he knew she wanted it too and there were no more secrets between them and he had a feeling that everything would be alright. 

He paused to catch a breath, resting his forehead on hers, while his hands left her face to wrap around her and bring her closer. 

“So, we’re doing this?” he said, looking into her eyes. 

“We are,” she said with absolute certainty. And she kissed him again. There was nothing else he wanted, he had it all in his arms. 


End file.
